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Description
This paper investigates the ongoing reconfiguration of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) curricula in the Business and Administration study programs by examining how different stakeholder groups conceptualize competence formation and its relevance to contemporary occupational structures. Positioned within the framework of the Skills4Future program (ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE-STRAND-2 -101081787), the study seeks to clarify the extent to which current educational practices respond to shifting labor market demands shaped by digitalization, technological acceleration, and the transition toward sustainable economies.
The research adopts a mixed-methods design that integrates qualitative evidence from stakeholder consultations with quantitative data collected through structured survey instruments applied across multiple institutional contexts. Emphasis is placed on identifying key competence domains such as interdisciplinary thinking, digital fluency, creativity, and socio-emotional skills and evaluating both their perceived importance and their effective incorporation into curricular structures.
Analytically, the study employs comparative techniques alongside econometric estimation methods to explore the relationship between curriculum design features and perceived employability outcomes. The approach allows for the identification of systemic gaps between educational outputs and occupational expectations, as well as the factors that facilitate or constrain curriculum responsiveness.
The findings indicate that competence relevance is increasingly shaped by processes of inter- and transdisciplinary hybridization, rather than by narrowly specialized knowledge structures. At the same time, the empirical results highlight the presence of a persistent structural mismatch between educational outputs and labor market requirements, largely explained by the limited degree of institutionalized stakeholder integration in curriculum design processes.
The analysis further suggests that strengthening mechanisms of curriculum co-creation and enhancing forms of collaborative governance between educational institutions and socio-economic actors represent critical determinants for improving the systemic adaptability and occupational relevance of STEAM programs.
Keywords: STEAM education, competence formation, employability, stakeholder perspectives, curriculum transformation, Skills4Future
JEL Classification: I25, J24, O33, M1
